


Black Sheep

by spacewitchqueen (vixy)



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Pining, SO MUCH FLUFF, Soft Kylux, some crack too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 00:15:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11909208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vixy/pseuds/spacewitchqueen
Summary: Kylo Ren is a sheep: a guy that gets paid to sleep with someone, no sex involved. 'Sheep' are so called because of the ‘counting sheep to sleep’ thing. They obviously have to be polite, pleasant, respectful and somehow charming because of course no one would want a rude sheep on their bed.Hux needs someone to help him sleep but of course it might not be so simple to fall asleep if he only counts one sheep... will Kylo give him sweet dreams?





	Black Sheep

Another sleepless night. Armitage Hux stretched his arm to turn off the alarm. He’d been awake long before the sharp notes began blaring. He didn’t really need the alarm but he couldn’t just deactivate it because—he reasoned—what if, on the one day he chose to do without it he overslept? Hux shuddered and remembered why it was good to have the damn thing in the first place. He sighed and got out of bed just like he had turned off the alarm, simply out of habit.

All that morning, besides feeling tired, Armitage felt anxious. He kept glancing at the glossy black card by his keyboard and back to his screen. He took the card a couple times and examined it closely, the contents hadn’t changed in the past five minutes: a white cotton-looking ball that could be either a sheep or a fluffy cloud, the words “Sleepy Buddies” and a phone number, which he’d already memorized so he really couldn’t justify looking at the card yet again.

“Just call already!”

This abrupt suggestion startled Hux. He crushed the card in his fist. He hadn’t noticed that Phasma had been watching him from her cubicle.

“I might,” Hux mumbled.  
“Pffft. You’re not going to do it, you’re overthinking it, I know that look.” Phasma rolled her eyes.  
“I am going to call! It’s just that...”  
“What.”  
“What if I don’t like it?” Hux frowned. Phasma laughed.  
“Are you serious?” She asked. Hux was still clutching the card. “I’m sure you’ll like it. I’ve used the service and I loved it. A hot guy cooks dinner for you and tucks you in, what’s not to love?”  
“Yeah but what if I don’t like him.” Hux insisted.  
“Beggars can’t be choosers, Armie.” She winked. Hux’s face went red. “Besides, you’re just going to sleep with the guy, you don’t have to fall head over heels for him for that. In fact, I think it is better if you don’t like him that much.”  
“But I have to like him at least a little.”  
“And you will.”  
“And if I don’t?” Hux pushed.  
“You can always ask him to leave.” Phasma sighed in exasperation. “Listen, I gave you that card because I think you could use a good night’s sleep and something like a date, maybe.”  
“A paid date.”  
“Well, if you didn’t push away every guy you meet, you’d have a boyfriend and you wouldn’t complain every couple of days about how you’d like someone to cuddle with.”  
Phasma had raised her voice and a few heads had turned around. Hux felt his face grow hot.  
“I do not complain!”  
“Yes, you do. So you can accept my suggestion, call them and spend a pleasant evening or you can throw the card away and spend another night alone. Your choice.” She swiveled her chair and went back to her work. Hux did the same. He waited until everyone had gone out for lunch to call.

That evening found Hux pacing back and forth between the living room window and the door, staring apprehensively at his phone every couple of minutes. It couldn’t be much longer now, any second now he was going to ring the doorbell and, and… and then what? Hux gulped, he was getting cold feet. Should he call the whole thing off? The doorbell rang. Hux closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He decided he’d at least see who the guy was and if he felt comfortable he’d take the next step. The doorbell rang again. Hux opened the door.

“Hi!” A young man greeted Hux. He was not bad looking, if not exactly Hux’s particular type. He seemed nice, friendly, polite. OK, this could work. Hux thought, he’d give the guy a chance. He smiled and realized he hadn’t actually said anything yet.  
“Hello.”  
“My name is Doph and I will be your ‘sheep’ this evening.”  
“Come in, Doph. I’m A…” Hux hesitated. “Do I need to tell you my first name?”  
“Not at all. Whatever you feel comfortable with will work.”  
“Hux.” He smiled, he wasn’t too fond of his first name and he really only tolerated his closest friends to use it.  
“Very well, Hux. Why don’t you tell me what you have in mind for tonight?”  
“Well… To be honest I… I’m not sure what to expect… or how this works…” Hux crossed his arms, trying to appear bigger and sure of himself.  
“First time? That’s alright. Let me explain.” Doph cleared his throat and then launched into a well-learned promotional speech. “Sheep-boys are first and foremost sleep-aides. We provide company and comfort. Our main activity, so to speak, is sleeping but if the client wishes, we can also cook dinner for them, or perhaps doing something else before bed like watching TV, talking or just going straight to bed. I guess you can think of sheep-boys as stay-at-home dates. Cuddles are allowed but no sexual contact is permitted.” Doph grinned. “Any questions?”  
“No, it’s all clear now.”  
“So what would you like to do now, Hux?”  
“Dinner?” Hux cleared his throat. “Dinner, if that’s OK.”  
“Dinner sounds good. Fair warning, though, I’m not the best cook.” Doph laughed nervously.  
“Neither am I.” Hux chuckled. “I live off frozen dinners.”

They had a hot, if somewhat overcooked meal and a nice time. Hux relaxed gradually as the evening progressed. He found that Doph was easy to talk to and conversation flowed naturally. Doph was polite and well-mannered and he seemed to like, or at least know, some of the same things that Hux liked. By the time they went to bed, Hux felt only slightly uneasy. It took him several minutes to find a comfortable position beside Doph, finally settling on resting his head on Doph’s shoulder.

“You smell nice,” Hux said, managing to stifle a yawn. “Good night.”  
“Good night, Hux.”

The alarm woke them up in the morning. Hux was unsure about what they were supposed to do next. They got up and he paid Doph and thanked him for his services. Doph thanked Hux for being a good client and left. When he left, Hux felt guilty for not asking him if he wanted to have breakfast. He felt rested and just a bit awkward, he had to admit it had been better than he’d expected. He wondered if he should’ve tipped Doph more.

“Phasma was right,” Hux said to himself. He began getting ready for work. He couldn’t wait to get to the office and tell her all about his sheep. Though, he probably wouldn’t tell her that he was already thinking about requesting another one.

Hux was better prepared the next night. He’d even stopped by the supermarket to buy some fresh groceries for dinner. He knew it was unlikely they’d send Doph again, Phasma had told him that she hadn’t had the same sheep twice yet (and she’d used the service quite a few times), but Hux was sure that whoever they sent would be fine. If only he’d known.

Later that evening, there was a buzz followed by a sharp knock. The noise startled Hux, he hurried to open the door and he was just as startled by the man on his doorstep: tall, broad-shouldered and sweating like he’d just run a marathon.

“Hi. Sorry, I think I broke your doorbell. I’m Kylo, can I come in? I need to take a shower first.”  
“Ky- What?” Hux was taken aback. This was not the introduction he’d expected.  
“Ky-lo.” The man repeated slowly. “You did ask for a sheep, right?”  
“I… did.” Hux was regretting this already.  
“Well, I’m it.” Kylo pointed at himself and then stepped inside without waiting for Hux to say he could. “What’s your name?”  
“Hux.”  
“Hux? OK, cool. Listen, Hux. This is my first day on the job, and I know I’m running late but I just had to cover another class at the gym and then they told me the showers were not working so I thought I’d just stop by my place before coming here but my cousin asked to borrow my car today and I didn’t want to be even later so I just ran all the way here and well, here I am now. Where’s the bathroom?”  
“First door on your right.” Hux pointed helpfully, too shocked to say anything else.  
“Thanks, I’ll be just a minute.”  
“Take your time.”

Hux could not believe what was happening. He did a mental recap. Somehow, he’d let a big stranger into his apartment and said big stranger was now taking a shower. He shook his head, this wouldn’t do, it was too much, too invasive. He would ask this Kylo person to leave at once, of course. He was also thinking about calling the service to complain because honestly, what were they thinking when they hired him? Yes, he’d tell Kylo to please leave as soon as he came out of the bathroom. Hux stood outside the bathroom door to try to assess how much time Kylo would take. The door opened at that moment, and Kylo walked right into Hux wearing just a towel.

“What the…”  
“Sorry. Why were you just standing here?”  
“I… was on the way to my bedroom. Why aren’t you dressed?” Kylo didn’t reply, he just went back into the bathroom not bothering to close the door.  
“You don’t have any decent hair products, but don’t worry I used mine.”  
“Right. Listen Kylo, I…” Hux lost his train of thought. That may or may not had been because Kylo was making a big show of putting on his clothes without dropping the towel. “I…”  
“Yes?”  
“I think you should... do you want to lock the door or use my room to change or…?”  
“Nah, it’s fine. I do this all the time.” Kylo zipped his pants and turned around to hang the towel. Hux hadn’t recovered his resolve when Kylo came back out into the hallway.  
“Dinner?” Kylo asked and walked to the kitchen like he owned the place. Hux followed him, wondering what would be the best way to ask him to leave.

Hux stayed just outside the kitchen observing Kylo, he really seemed to be quite at ease. Kylo had opened the fridge and was choosing vegetables. He opened all the cupboards next. Hux was about to protest, he had just cleaned them last week and he definitely didn’t want some stranger touching all his dishes. But Kylo just selected a pot and began preparing pasta while humming to himself.

They exchanged only a few words while Kylo was cooking and they barely spoke through dinner. Kylo was very animated at first, trying to ask Hux about his job, about his apartment, but Hux seemed aloof and it showed in his answers. Hux didn’t mean to be rude, he felt anxious and he was still trying to decide if he wanted Kylo to stay or not, and perhaps his sudden shyness was caused by Kylo himself. Hux found him attractive. Maybe. No. It was ridiculous, he couldn’t, of course he didn’t. It was just the effect of the first homemade dinner he’d had in years. He hadn’t even protested —that much— when Kylo served dinner using Hux’s fine china. Yes, it was just that, the effect of a nice dinner. He shook his head and stood up to clear the table.

“I can do that.” Kylo offered. He took the dish from Hux’s hands.  
“No!” Hux replied brusquely, Kylo let go. “I mean, I will do it. You cooked, it’s only fair.” He smiled. Kylo flashed a big grin at him and Hux felt his face getting hot. He disappeared into the kitchen telling himself to be nicer. Hux was thinking what he could say to let Kylo know he had really enjoyed dinner when he heard a crash. He stepped out of the kitchen to find Kylo kneeling by broken china.

“Oh no. Were this, erm, valuable?”  
“I told you I could do it,” Hux said sharply.  
“I only wanted to help,” Kylo muttered. Hux felt bad about snapping at him.  
“Don’t worry. I will clean this up.”  
Kylo stood up and in doing so, he knocked the wine bottle off the table. He managed to catch it in midair but not before wine spilt on Hux’s back. Hux gasped when the cold liquid soaked his shirt.  
“S-sorry.”

Breathe, Hux said to himself. It doesn’t matter.

“Right. I’m going to get changed. Just… just don’t move, ok?” Hux tried for a reassuring smile but he knew it probably looked more like a grimace.

He went to his bedroom to grab a clean shirt and then locked himself in the bathroom. He took mental note of everything that had happened so far while he tried to wash off the wine stain, unsuccessfully. First, a big, dirty stranger on his doorstep had used his bathroom. Hux reasoned that the stranger being hot and having cooked a nice meal kind of cancelled that out. OK. Next, this clumsy stranger had broken a priceless, irreplaceable dish. That was sort of not-that-bad, he didn’t really care about dinnerware. His father’s face when he next visited and noticed the missing dish would be its own reward. And now, red wine on his favorite shirt. Fine, not his favorite shirt but certainly one of his favorites. Hux sighed looking at the still visible pinkish stain. Damn. That Kylo was a menace. Hux wondered what would be the worst thing that could happen if Kylo stayed the night. Did he want Kylo to stay? Hux put on a clean shirt and opened the door.

Some very distinctive notes reached Hux’s ears over the sound of pouring water. Kylo was in the kitchen washing the dishes. The sound was coming from him.  
“Ah, damn! I’m sorry, I thought my phone was on silent.” Kylo quickly put down the dishes and fumbled for his phone.  
“Is that the… Stars whatever theme?” Hux snorted.  
“Star Wars. The Imperial March, you know, Darth Vader’s theme?”  
“Never seen that.”  
“How do you live? You don’t look like the kind of boring, pretentious guy who hates pop culture and only watches weird foreign films… oh.” Even Kylo could tell he’d crossed the line, Hux’s face was red again but this time due to embarrassment and anger.  
“I thought sheep were supposed to be polite.”  
“I… Sorry.”  
“Listen, Kylo, I think this is not working out, maybe it’s better if you leave.”  
“But I… um, sure. Sorry.” Kylo dried his hands, walked dejectedly out of the kitchen, picked up his bag and opened the door.

A bolt of lightning lit up the sky and the thunder that followed made the windows vibrate. Not a second later rain was pouring down hard. Hux remembered Kylo had said he’d run there, even if he could call a car, he’d have to walk to the avenue, he’d get soaked before he took two steps. Hux glanced at Kylo’s retreating back, he looked really crushed. He rolled his eyes.

“Stay.”  
“What?”  
“You can stay if you want to.” Hux looked at the window. “I’d feel awful if I just kick you out during a storm.”  
“I can call a cab.”  
“Like I said, you can stay if you want to.”  
“Thanks! I do. I’d really hate to ruin this job on my first day, well, night.” Kylo shut the door and made his way to the bedroom.  
“Ah, no. I’m not letting you into my room, you’ll probably set it on fire. You can stay out here, the couch is comfortable.”  
Kylo sat down and pat the space beside him.  
“It’s gonna be a snug fit.”  
Hux ignored him, he threw Kylo a blanket and went to his room. He came out a few minutes later. He thought it wouldn’t hurt to cuddle with Kylo.  
“Move over.”

Kylo made as much room as he could. The couch was big but not that big, they barely fit. Hux lay down facing Kylo first but it was too weird, way too close. His eyes focused on Kylo’s lips. He gulped and turned around. They were still too close, closer than they would’ve been on Hux’s bed but something about Kylo made him nervous and he didn’t want to be alone in his room with him. He realized it was stupid, Kylo was already in his house, it wouldn’t really make a difference but it made Hux feel he was in control. Yes, he felt safe. He closed his eyes. The sound —and the vibration— of Kylo’s voice made Hux open them again.

“Hey, is it OK if I put my arm around you? It’s beginning to feel numb.”  
“Sure.”

A few minutes later they were comfortable enough to drift off to sleep. Hux felt very warm, as if the fireplace in front of the couch was on. Kylo was like a radiator, and his arm felt heavy on Hux but not in a bad way. Hux even liked the sensation of Kylo’s breath on his neck. Outside, the worst of the storm was over, the pitter-patter of rain on the window was a cozy lullaby.

 

The sun filtering between the blinds woke Hux up. The sun. Also, he was suddenly keenly aware of something poking his lower back. Perhaps that is why it took him a few seconds to realize that if the sun was high enough to hurt his eyes, it meant that he had overslept. He struggled to get out from under Kylo’s arm trying as much as possible not to rub against him, and reached for his phone. It wasn’t by his side. He remembered he’d left it on his bedside table, as usual, and had left it there when he went to sleep on the couch that’s why he hadn’t heard the alarm. He sat bolt upright and ran to his room. He checked his phone. He was so late. “Shit!”.

Hux hurried back to the living room. He put his phone and his wallet on the coffee table, along with Kylo’s money.  
Kylo was awake now. He got up from the couch and stretched, yawning something that sounded like “good morning”.  
Well, at least someone is having a good morning, Hux thought while he all but ran to his room.

“What do you want for breakfast?” Kylo asked.  
“Nothing.” Hux almost slammed the bathroom door. He immediately felt bad about it. He was being rude, this was not Kylo’s fault. He opened the door again. “Sorry. I’m running a bit late, no time for breakfast. Thank you for dinner and all. Your money is on the table, I gotta hurry now.”  
“OK. Nice to meet you, Hux. Thanks for… not kicking me out, I guess.” Kylo smiled. “I hope you had a good time.”  
Hux closed the door before he said something stupid.

When Hux got out of the bathroom, Kylo was gone. He dressed in a hurry and went to the kitchen to grab something to eat. He found a fresh pot of coffee and a mug with a note on it. “Sorry about the dish and the wine. Have a good day! - K.” Hux felt a slight flutter in his stomach. It’s nothing, I’m just hungry, he told himself.  
While he drank his coffee on his way to work, Hux thought maybe Kylo wasn't so bad after all. Something more rational inside his head shouted Nonsense, the guy is a mess! But what if he was a good kind of mess?

A couple of hours later, his phone rang in his pocket. That was odd in itself because Hux always had his phone on silent mode. And not only was the phone ringing now, but also the ringtone was The Imperial March. What on earth? He took the phone out and stared at the screen recognizing the number of the incoming call as his own.

“You have my phone.”  
“Yeah, I put mine on the table for a minute and I must have picked yours instead when I took the money. This wouldn’t have happened if I still had my Vader case and it’s funny because I only took it off my phone because of the job in the first place and…”  
“Right. So what should we do?” Hux interrupted Kylo’s rant.  
“I can stop by your place later today if that’s alright.” Kylo offered.  
“Fine.” Hux wanted to end the call sooner rather than later, Phasma had stopped typing and he was sure she was trying to eavesdrop.  
“See you later, Hux.”  
Hux ended the call without another word.

Not a second later, the phone rang again. He could feel his neck burning.  
“What!” Hux hissed.  
“I… If anyone else calls just don’t answer and, erm, ignore any messages.”  
“Don’t worry. I don’t have time for snooping.” Hux ended the call again, wishing he had the satisfaction of slamming the phone shut. Phasma’s voice made him turn around.  
“You may not have time for snooping but you sure look like you want to.” Phasma grinned. “So, are you gonna tell me about it?” Hux figured it would be easier to just tell her what had happened with Kylo.

Their chat was interrupted by some robotic sounding blips. Hux looked at the phone instinctively. Someone that Kylo had saved as “gym guy” left a string of messages. Hux ignored them and put the phone on silent mode. When he looked at the phone again at lunch time Kylo had 5 missed calls and a dozen more messages. Hux tried to tell himself that the sudden feeling in the pit of his stomach was just him getting hungry again, and not him getting jealous at all.

Hux spent the rest of the day “rehearsing”. At first, he had considered just opening the door when Kylo showed up and exchanging phones without any sort of conversation. But then, for some reason, he started thinking about what he could say. He wanted to say something interesting, he wanted Kylo to think he was cool. Of course, Hux had not counted on Kylo not sticking to the “script”.

“Pizza’s here!” Kylo announced pushing past Hux.  
“What?”  
“Dinner!” Kylo set the pizza box on the table and went into the kitchen to get some dishes. “Not the fancy ones this time.” He winked  
“Make yourself right at home,” Hux mumbled, trying to appear more annoyed than he actually was. Kylo took off his jacket and placed it on the back of his chair before sitting down. Hux sighed and took a seat.  
“So, no shower today?” Hux asked.  
“Nah, they fixed the water at the gym,” Kylo said between mouthfuls. “Sorry, no peep show for you tonight.” Hux’s cheeks went bright red.

After dinner Kylo helped Hux clear the table and then he gave him his phone. Kylo joked that he thought Hux’s phone had run out of battery because it hadn’t buzzed all day. Hux wanted to retort with something witty about Kylo’s phone ringing incessantly and also to ask who was this insistent “gym guy” but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, what if he didn’t like the answer?

“Do you, ah, work tonight?”  
“You mean like sheep-ing? No, not tonight.”  
“Would you like to… I mean, we could see a movie… if you want.”  
“What, really? Netflix and chill?” Kylo laughed.  
“No! Just a movie... You know what, forget it.”  
“No! I’m kidding, I’m sorry. A movie sounds good.”

It took them a while to decide what they wanted to see. After arguing the pros and cons of “Star-something” versus “a film no one has ever heard about”, they settled on some old episodes of a series they both liked. They couldn’t tell who fell asleep first but neither of them tried to move away when they eventually woke up in the middle of the night. Hux just turned off the TV and pulled a blanket over Kylo and himself.

The next morning was a bit more rushed. It was Saturday, Hux had time to sleep in but Kylo didn’t. He all but pushed Hux out of the couch.

“Gotta run. Early class. Bye, Hux.” Kylo was up and out the door in under a minute. Hux considered wrapping himself up in the blanket again, pretending Kylo was still there but the nettlesome voice inside his head told him not to get his hopes up, Kylo didn’t really like him he was just being nice, maybe he was new in town and maybe he didn’t have many friends yet, maybe he liked “gym guy”, hell, maybe he was dating “gym guy”. Hux wished he’d checked the messages. He was still telling himself that Kylo probably thought he was a boring, pretentious guy when he got up from the couch and walked listlessly to the kitchen. Something caught his eye. Kylo’s jacket hanging from a chair. “Come on, you gotta be kidding me.”

Hux felt a tinge of excitement. Did this mean Kylo would be back again tonight? No. No. He shouldn’t be silly. He was going to call Kylo and just drop his stupid jacket at the gym and then they’d be done. Yes, that was it, definitely. He couldn’t explain why he put on the jacket to make the call though.

Getting to the gym took way less time than Hux had considered. He wasn’t sure that knowing where to find Kylo would do him any good. He thought he’d just leave the jacket at the front desk or with the first person wearing a uniform he could find.  
Hux stood just inside the door for the longest time looking lost. He was considering going back home when out of the corner of his eye he spotted Kylo. Hux turned around and through the mirror on the wall across from him, he saw that Kylo was not alone, a shorter guy —a good-looking shorter guy— with curly hair was with him, hanging on his every word.

"Can I help you?" A cheerful voice made Hux turn back around.  
"No... I... um... I just came to give someone this." Hux raised the jacket.  
"Ah! I see. Do you see the person you're looking for?"  
"Yeah, over there." Hux signaled with his head to where Kylo was standing. "But I don't want to interrupt."  
"You'd better not. Kylo is very serious when he's with a client." Hux thought Kylo, serious? but just then the girl with the cheerful voice laughed at her own joke and he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hux! Working out today?" Kylo greeted him in a booming voice that could be heard over the loud music of the gym.  
"No, not really. I just came to return this."  
“Ah! You shouldn’t have!”  
“Yeah, well… bye.” Hux couldn’t think of anything better to say, he felt everyone was looking at him, why did Kylo have to be so loud?  
"Nonsense, you're here anyway, you’re wearing sporty clothes, come on! Sign him up for one free session please, Rey?"  
“Sure thing! Name?” Rey asked in the same cheerful voice.  
“Armitage Hux.”

Hux just wanted to go back to his car and drive home as fast as he could. However, the look of authentic interest Kylo was giving him and, maybe in part because the guy with curly hair seemed to be waiting for Kylo, Hux decided to stay. Without any further argument, Hux followed Kylo to the treadmills. “So you are a personal trainer?” Hux asked. Kylo nodded and explained him the routine, then as usual, he babbled on as Hux began to pant.

After the grueling cardio routine was over, Kylo led Hux to a weight bench. Hux felt like his heart would burst forth from his chest like in some cheap movie. He couldn't help but notice, though, that the guy Kylo had been talking to was looking at him with poorly concealed glee. Hux knew he had to endure this torture just out of spite, even if he dropped dead afterwards. An hour later Hux could barely stand up.

"Time for body combat, don't keep everyone waiting." The obnoxious guy with curly hair beckoned Kylo.  
"I'll be right there." Once the guy was out of earshot Kylo turned to Hux. "You didn't do so bad! We also have classes if you like that sort of thing, aerobics maybe?" Hux wanted to snap back but he was out of air. "Thanks again for bringing my jacket. See you around, Hux."

Hux walked out of the gym with as much dignity as he could muster. His heart was still hammering madly in his chest, his legs felt like jelly and he wasn't sure he'd see Kylo around anytime soon. He had no reason to. Why had he returned the damned jacket? Now he had no excuse to call him.

The next few days were awful. Hux felt almost miserable. All week he debated calling Kylo. He'd tried to put him out of his mind but couldn't. He even went to the gym once but when he saw the guy with curly hair he decided against going in.

"You have his number, so call him." Phasma advised. "Ask him out."  
"What if he says no."  
"Then you'll know for sure and you can stop pining." Phasma rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Armie, if I didn't know better I'd say you're crushing hard on a guy you've seen only once."  
"Three times," Hux muttered angrily.

Was Hux being silly? Yes, fine, maybe but so what. He hadn't felt anything like this in a long time. Crush, infatuation, whatever it was called, this mixture of attraction and irritation and thinking a person is cool and wanting that person to think he was cool too; finding someone interesting and funny and cute and hot he wanted to get to know, and why could he feel his cheeks burning right now?  
It was true he was touch starved but Hux knew his current feelings, his agitation about Kylo was something beyond that, because he hadn't felt the same way about Doph. That had been nice but he hadn't wanted to see him again or spend more time with him or impress him or anything like that.

Still, he told himself that maybe that was all it was, a childish crush and if so, then it was better to look for a distraction, to get over it. He was home alone, nothing to do, no one to talk to. Almost without thinking he let his hands fidget with his phone until he dialed the sheep service. He was halfway through confirming his details when he changed his mind. He really didn't think he'd enjoy anyone else's company. He thanked the person on the phone and hung up.

Hux went for a walk, he was going nowhere in particular and yet he found himself outside the gym. Hux had to actively talk himself out of standing by the huge window and peek inside. He already felt bad, he didn't want to feel like a stalker. He walked away as fast as he could only stopping when the first droplets of rain landed on his head. He went into a bookstore, partly to shelter himself from the storm, partly because he'd seen the place before but had never gone in and this was as good a chance as any. The place was nice, shelves upon shelves of all kinds of books and some tables and couches where people could sit and have a cup of coffee while they read. He chose a book and sat down.

Hux had been there maybe fifteen minutes when he felt he was being watched. He raised his head and found Kylo sitting in front of him, staring. Hux hoped he wasn't blushing but the burning sensation on his cheeks told him that he was.

"How long have you been sitting there?"  
"Since you came in. I just didn't want to interrupt, you were too focused on your book." Kylo smiled. “I come here all the time, it’s nice isn’t it? And the book selection isn’t half bad.” He winked. Hux smiled.

They talked for a long while. Hux was feeling happier than he’d felt in days. He was thinking maybe they could go have dinner but then Kylo told him he had to leave, he was on sheep duty that night. He paid for Hux’s coffee and left. This time he couldn’t deny to himself the pang of jealousy he felt.

 

Hux went home. But he didn’t feel like being home. He needed to be with a friend so he called Phasma and they went out for drinks. Phasma was understanding but after a few shots she wanted to dance and Hux was still complaining about his situation. As a dare, she told Hux to call Kylo. She was sure he wouldn’t do it and maybe he would shut up about it then.

“I could call him, you know,” Hux said, his drink in one hand, his phone in the other.  
“You’re not going to do it, Hux. The sooner you admit it, the better. So turn off your phone and come dance with me.” She had barely finished talking when Hux took the phone to his ear. “Oh, this should be fun.”  
Hux made “watch me” signs at her and waited patiently for Kylo to pick up. Through his alcohol-induced daze he still remembered Kylo was with a client. Maybe he had turned off his phone, he wouldn’t answer. Kylo’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Hux? Why are you calling so late? Is everything alright?” Kylo was whispering but Hux could hear genuine concern in his voice. Phasma was looking at him. He could hang up and she’d make fun of him or he could talk to Kylo… and she’d probably make fun of him anyway. “Hux? Are you there? Are you OK”  
“No, I’m not OK, you big fool. I can’t stop thinking about you.”  
“What?”  
“There, I said it. Are you happy now?” Hux said that more to Phasma than to Kylo and then he hung up.

When Hux got home, Kylo was sitting outside his door.  
“What are you doing here?” Hux asked, sobering up in a second.  
"Client kicked me out."  
“S-sorry about that, I…”  
“Do you really like me?” Kylo grabbed Hux by the arms, but he didn’t sound angry, his expression was curious, incredulous. Hux took a deep breath.  
“Yes.”  
“Unbelievable.” Kylo let go off Hux’s arms. Hux’s heart sank to his stomach. “A guy I like actually likes me back, that’s gotta be some sort of miracle.” Kylo’s smile made Hux’s head spin —no, that had nothing to do with the alcohol.

Hux asked Kylo to come in. They stayed up all night, talking, laughing. Kylo confessed he had left his jacket on purpose, he wanted to have an excuse to go visit Hux some other day. When it was so late it was almost early, they went to bed. Hux closed his eyes but opened them again almost immediately.

“What about ‘gym guy’?”  
“He’s a client, I train him, he’s just too enthusiastic about his routines so he asks me stuff all the time.”  
“Oh.”  
They were quiet for a few seconds.  
“You know, I feel so comfortable with you. Please, if you can, save some nights for me.”  
“About that… I’m no longer working there. Turns out I’m a terrible sheep what with breaking dishes, and skipping on other clients to bring pizza to a guy I like, and answering the phone at 2 AM.” Kylo laughed.  
“I got you fired? I’m so sorry…”  
“Don’t be. I’ll look for another job, maybe I can take up some more classes at the gym. Maybe I can work at the bookstore cafe.” He yawned. “But right now, let’s sleep.”  
“Goodnight, Kylo.” Hux tilted his head and kissed Kylo softly on the lips.  
“Sweet dreams, Hux.”

They officially began dating the next day. As time passed, and they got to know each other they fell in love with the qualities and the quirks of each other; they found out they had learned to like what the other likes —Kylo even managed to convince Hux to watch Star Wars. Hux admitted it was not too awful.

A few months later, Kylo moved in with Hux. On that first night, they slept on the same couch they had slept on when they first met. And very much like on that night, it was chilly outside, it was raining. Big droplets softly hitting the window. But it didn’t matter. They were comfortably leaning into each other, Hux was wearing one of Kylo’s shirts, which of course was too big for him, but with Kylo’s arms around him he felt happy and warm. They both did.

Both of them had been waiting for the perfect moment to say something that they had been feeling for a while. And this particular moment: the soft light of the room, the rain outside, did feel perfect, cozy, intimate. Hux turned to look Kylo in the eye, he didn’t feel anxious in the slightest. Kylo’s smile was a reflection of his own. In unison, they said three words:

“I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was the prompt from the wonderful @katherine1753
> 
> Modern AU. Kylo and Hux are sitting in front of a fireplace. Kylo is wearing sleep pants, Hux is wearing one of Kylo's shirts that's too big for him. They're leaning into each other, happy and warm. Outside the window is a soft rain. The room has soft small lights and comfortable furniture, a very cozy place. Soft Kylux in love.
> 
> Thank you so much for the lovely art! <3
> 
> And thank you to all the readers! :3


End file.
